A jury has acquitted a man of seriously injuring a best-selling author from New Addington by driving dangerously towards him, after it was suggested the writer had exaggerated what happened.

Darren Lynch, 26, of Alexandra Road, Warlingham got into a row with Kevin Lewis, the Croydon-raised author of The Kid, after the two came across each other while driving in Warlingham on December 21, 2014.

This led to a second incident during which Mr Lynch sped off, his car striking the hand of Mr Lewis, which subsequently caused him pain in his left hip, left shoulder and upper back.

At Guildford Crown Court on Monday, January 15, Recorder Mr Anthony Chinn QC relayed all the evidence to a jury at the end of a trial, before they were discharged to deliberate.

Read More

Latest Croydon news

Reminding them of Mr Lewis’s evidence, Recorder Chinn said: “He was driving down Chelsham Road, Warlingham in his black Range Rover Sport, where he saw a car coming down towards him.

"He saw the junction at Alexandra Road as a place to pull in. There was a Mercedes trying to come out there."

Mr Lewis had told the court that the Mercedes, which was being driven by Mr Lynch, had reversed back into the junction while Mr Lewis had also pulled into it, to allow the other car to pass him on Chelsham Road.

Mr Lewis said, after setting off again along Chelsham Road, that the Mercedes then appeared in his rear view mirror and overtook him at a chicane before pulling over.

The junction of Alexandra Road and Chelsham Road in Warlingham

Recorder Chinn told the jury that Mr Lewis, at that point, got out of the Range Rover which he had been travelling in with his wife, Jackie, and asked Mr Lynch "what the f*** was he doing and if he wanted to do this, we will do this" as he clenched his fist.

After a short altercation Mr Lynch got back into his Mercedes and drove off, the jury was told.

Mr Lewis had told the jury in his evidence that he’d then got back into his own car and headed home to the exclusive Greatpark estate further along Chelsham Road.

He said: "I then reversed the car back and drove towards our gated estate. My wife and I decided to pull over before we headed home to calm down before we saw the children.

"My wife and I got out of the car and, as she walked around, I saw the same Mercedes. He [Mr Lynch] sped up and started driving towards me."

Mr Lewis said he jumped out the way of the car speeding towards him and he felt the vehicle "hit his left hand”.

Mr Lewis had told the court he fell unconscious but decided not to go to hospital because he didn’t want to be there over Christmas.

'Previous conviction'

Recorder Chinn told the jury Mr Lewis had a previous conviction arising from an altercation with another driver.